They Wanted Me to Chaperone My Sister Abroad, So I Vanished Chapter 02

They Wanted Me to Chaperone My Sister Abroad, So I Vanished Chapter 02

Early the next morning, I picked up the cordless landline to call Ms. Bennett, the only teacher I’d ever trusted, and told her exactly which school I’d applied to.

She sounded confused on the other end of the line. “Bella, your scores easily qualify you for Harvard. Why settle for UC Berkeley?”

I glanced around my cramped, sunless bedroom and laughed without humor. “I just can’t stand living near them another day.”

I didn’t want to wake up in this room that never saw sunlight. I was done shrinking myself, done holding back every part of me to play the accommodating older sister.

We’d moved into this house back when Linda and I were still elementary-aged kids.

Besides the master bedroom, the largest room went straight to Owen. That left two remaining spaces: a bright front bedroom with a walk-in closet, and a tiny, shadowy back room barely big enough for a twin bed.

My parents knelt before us with forced smiles. “You pick first, Bella—you’re the older sister.”

I’d lifted my hand to point at the spacious, sunlit room, and their smiles vanished instantly.

“Selfish little thing! All you care about is taking the nicer room for yourself?”

I “volunteered” for the cramped back room in the end.

Tears blurred my vision as I watched Linda dart back and forth through the walk-in closet, bright and giddy as a songbird.

Owen, still just a kid himself, shoved me roughly before rushing inside to play with Linda.

“Don’t think your looks get you sympathy. This family doesn’t coddle fake sadness.”

“Girls are such a hassle, crying nonstop. Linda never acts like this—move, you’re blocking the way.”

I cried because it was the only outlet I had left.

Unlike Linda, every word she spoke was listened to, every small sadness tended to. But as for me, even tears were written off as manipulative performativity.

My room was absurdly tiny. There wasn’t enough storage for my modest wardrobe, so I’d asked if I could hang a few pieces in Linda’s empty closet space.

My parents shut the idea down immediately. “You chose this room of your own free will. Don’t go stealing space from Linda.”

Months later, during a deep house cleanout, I stumbled across the original floor plan tucked in a drawer. The small bedroom I’d lived in all these years was marked as a storage closet on the blueprint.

They had three children, and I’d never volunteered to take the closet-sized space. Does every family need one sacrificial lamb to keep the rest happy and harmonious?

A knock pulled me from my spiraling thoughts, and I hung up the phone fast.

Linda stood in the hallway, dressed head-to-toe in frilly designer clothes, grinning sweetly. “Wanna come to the amusement park with us, Bella?”

Owen clicked his tongue in annoyance from behind her. “Linda, this trip’s a celebration gift just for you, from me and Marcus. Why invite her?”

I forced a weak smile. “You guys enjoy yourselves. I’ll pass.”

Linda grabbed my wrist and tugged me toward the front door. “The whole group goes together—it wouldn’t feel right without you!”

This was always how it went.

She’d stolen every scrap of love that should’ve been mine, yet sometimes she’d act as if she wanted me included, leaving me tangled and unsure how to feel about her.

Owen and Marcus made it clear I’d only be an awkward third wheel, but Linda dragged me along anyway.

I suffered from severe acrophobia; almost every ride left me frozen with terror, doomed to stand on the sidelines watching while they bonded. Being sandwiched between three of them left me painfully out of place.

Her invitation was always a trap—suffocating if I accepted, isolating if I refused.

I gave in and followed them out.

Once inside the park, Owen, Marcus, and Linda laughed nonstop. Linda’s shrill giggles cut through every crowd noise, decked out in brand-new designer clothes while I stood beside them in my plain school uniform.

It was as if they’d forgotten the second girl entirely—no balloons, no sparkly headbands, no ice cream, only one portion for Linda every time.

A park performer handed me a stuffed prize mid-interaction, caught off guard by Linda’s longing stare.

Two teenage girls walking by whispered loud enough for me to hear.

“She’s stunning. Even a boring school uniform looks like a designer school skirt on her—looks really do carry weight.”

“I wish I worked park events so I could get to talk to her.”

Linda’s face clouded over instantly, and Owen’s expression turned sharp with displeasure.

He marched over, snatched every stuffed animal out of my arms, and dumped them all into Linda’s lap.

“Your sister picked all these out just for you, knew you’d love the silly little trinkets. You’re the prettiest girl here, Linda. Don’t ever forget that.”

Linda’s face lit up instantly. “Wow, thanks, Bella!”

I stood frozen, something inside me going still and cold.